125th Anniversary Commemorative Book

Blessed for 125 Years: Honoring the Past, Looking toward the Future.

St John Lutheran Church Janesville, Wisconsin

1890-2015

Celebrating 125 Years of Blessings

125th Anniversary Commemorative Book


Staff

Rev. Bond Haldeman, Pastor

Rev. David Nelsestuen,

Visitation and Outreach Pastor

Melissa Van Tassell,

Administrative Assistant

Pat Meehan, Clerical Assistant

Les Meehan, Maintenance

Jennifer Hein, Custodian

Sandy Skildum, New Hope

Choir Director

Londa Rusch, 180 Group

Director

Ellen Westlund, Organist

Shelly Frank, Accompanist

Delight Antos, Organist

Judith Magnus, Parish Nurse

Rev. Bond Haldeman

Pastor

A Letter from Our Pastor


Give glory to the Lord, your God.

One-hundred twenty-five years for a congregation is no small feat, especially in the most recent decades. (It is not the 50's nor the 80's anymore.) You have probably heard the stories of Pastor So-and-so who was so important to the congregation. You can probably name a number of significant figures in the history of the congregation, be they Sunday school teachers, superin-tendents, secretaries, custodians, or musicians. We might be tempted to glorify the efforts of those who have come before us, or pat ourselves on the back. But the anniversary of a congregation is not about praise for you or

your ancestors, or me or my predecessors.

In the world, it has become a habit to identify heroes and villains, individuals upon whom everything can be hung, the good and the bad. However, I think it is rarely a sole individual that determines the course of events, but the vari-ous relationships and interactions of the individuals in a community that make the difference. But even such a systems perspective does not capture the truth we celebrate on the anniversary of a congregation. The Apostle

Paul writes about it this way (1 Cor. 3:6-7):

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God

who gives the growth.

On this occasion of the 125th Anniversary of Saint John Lutheran Church, we give the glory, honor, praise and thanksgiving to God. It is our Father in heaven who has made possible this congregation, its blessings to us, and its ministry to the city of Janesville, for 125 years. And as we remain faithful to God, who continues to call, gather, enlighten us, and make us holy through Jesus Christ, we can look forward to decades yet to come. So we celebrate God today, as we ought to everyday, and remember the church of which God has made us a part, the Body of Christ to which we belong, and the promises

of God through Jesus Christ given to us in this community of faith.

Thanks be to God.


Congregational

Council 2015

Ted Grund, President

Greg Griffith,

Vice President

Todd Duckworth, Treasurer

Cathy Prusansky, Secretary

Tammy Albrecht

Tim Banwell

Lorrie Craig

Ron Hornsey

Judi Magnus

Melanie Morgan

Scott Meyers

Shirley Meyers

Kathy Severson

Ted Grund

A Letter from Our Council President

Blessed for 125 Years: Honoring the Past, Looking toward the Future

I want to start by saying THANK YOU to the founding families of St. John Lu-theran Church. These families began something they felt was important for themselves and for their families 125 years ago. There are still members of St. John today whose parents, grandparents, or family members were one of those founding families. How exciting to still have this link to our humble beginnings. To think that our congregation is alive and well after all these years is truly something to celebrate and to honor! Our 125 year Celebration Committee has done an outstanding job of bringing this history to life for the entire congregation to reflect upon, appreciate, and smile about. What a joy it has been to see the pictures of current church mem-bers when they were in Sunday school, to watch a video of the construction of our current church building over 50 years ago, to appreciate pictures of past weddings held here, or to reflect on past confirmation classes of current mem-bers today. I think the biggest reactions were from those who remember previ-ous Pastors and the joy they recall from past experiences in their lives. Hearing these shared memories told by many of our current members is what all of us love about being a part of a long standing church experience here at St. John. As a current church council member, I can tell you that your council is made up of committed members who have been a part of our church’s history in many different ways. Though their individual St. John histories may vary, their appreci-ation and respect for our congregation’s 125 year history does not. Our history is a part of all of us and helps shape our decisions for this congregation’s future. 125 years later we certainly look a little different than we did at our beginning. What would be the reaction from a founding family if you told them in 2015 we videotape all of our services so you can watch them from home, we project our service on a giant projector screen, we are working on updating our new web site to be seen from a mobile phone, or you can even find us on Facebook! Times have certainly changed. There are many things which have changed about the way St. John functions today, but after 125 years, what has not changed is our commitment to our iden-tity and who we are as a church family. It is exciting to think of what the next 125 years will bring to our congregation. The building may be different, our address may be different, but our one Voice, one Faith, one Purpose, and one Church family will be the same. Appreciate, embrace, and enjoy this moment in our church’s history, for WE ALL are an integral part of the reason we are celebrating our church’s history. God has truly blessed St. John Lutheran Church! God Bless, Ted J. Grund Council President


February 20, 1890—First meet-

ing to discuss forming a new

congregation

February 26, 1890—Constitution

for the new congregation ap-

proved and call issued.

Pastor G. Kaemplein accepted

the call and began serving in

1890.

First church dedicated on

September 13, 1890.

Services held in German.

Day School in German until

1918.

German language services

discontinued in 1940’s.

Timeline

In the beginning…..

On February 20, 1890, a group of German Lutheran men gathered to discuss forming a new congregation…..

On February 20, 1890, a group of Lutheran men of Janesville, Wiscon-

sin gathered to organize a second German Lutheran Church in the city. The

gathering, members of St Paul’s Lutheran Church, left that congregation be-

cause of a disagreement over its’ ban on fraternal societies. On that day, an

election of temporary officers was held and a constitution discussed.

A Constitution was written and adopted on Feb. 26, 1890, and the

name St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church was taken. At this meeting, a call

was issued to Pastor G. Kaempflein of Beloit to be the pastor.

The founding members of the congregation were Carl Heinrich Kueck,

B. Gerard, G. Schulz, Carl Schnoeckel, Ferdinand Holz, August Abendroth,

August Strampe, W. Perleberg, Carl Heiss Sr., Otto Jaecke, Jul. Berchstein,

Fred. Potthoff, Fritz Vogel, Wm. Schmidt, H. Buchholz, Wm. Meyer, Aug.

Gehrke, Carl Heiss Jr., Wilhelm Behm, Charles Freimann, Charles Wilkes, Gust

Heiss, Herman Krebs, Friedrich Hein, Max Pfenning, Gust. Heise, and Otto

Kneip.

The first church property was purchased on the corner of North Bluff

Street (Parker Drive) and Pease Court. On this lot were two frame buildings,

one of which was remodeled and used as a church building, while the other was

used as a parsonage. A small class room attached to the church was used as a

day school. The first house of worship was ready for services on the third Sun-

day of June, 1890. By fall, the remodeling was complete and the new church

was dedicated on Sept. 13, 1890. Another German congregation, St. Mary’s

Catholic Church, gave a bronze and walnut crucifix for the altar of the new Lu-

theran Church to welcome them to neighborhood. The parsonage at 219 Pease

Court was built after 1898..

The services in the first church were held in German at 10:15 am, followed by

Sunday School at 11:30 am. Originally all of St. John’s services were conduct-

ed in German and the congregation sponsored a German day school. By 1918,

the day school had given way to an organized Sunday School, and English was

introduced into the services and the Sunday School. German services contin-

ued every Sunday until the 1930s, when the frequency of these services was

scaled back to once a month. Finally, in the 1940s, the German service was

discontinued.


Young People’s Association

(JungerVerein) founded

Women’s Association (Frauen

Verein) founded

January 1913—Decision to build

new church

Second church dedicated on No-

vember 30, 1913

Congregation in Hanover

Mortgage for 1913 Church

burned on May 19, 1929

Renovations to Church in the

1930’s

Timeline

A Young People’s Association was chartered in 1890 and met

monthly until about 1917. The original constitution and minutes are recorded in

German. The last few entries in the record book are written by the same secre-

tary but are now written in English.

A Women’s Organization existed from the start at St. John, the first one bearing

the name Frauen Verein, which translates “Women’s Association”. The Frauen

Verein was organized “for the purpose of learning and doing God’s will”. Their

first constitution was labeled the “Martha Marian Society in 1893. In 1917, the

name was changed to Ladies Aid Society. In 1960, the Ladies Aid Society and

the Women’s Missionary Society, a group founded in the 1920’s, merged to

become the American Lutheran Church Women, ALCW, a name that developed

from the church’s new synod affiliation. In 1987, another synod merger resulted

in another new name, Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,

WELCA. Since 1890, the women of the church have met regularly for Bible

study and service to others, both within the church and within the community

and world.

At the annual meeting in January 1913, the congregation unanimously voted to

build a new church with a basement for Sunday School and other activities.

Emil Pautz, who bid $13,217 for the construction of the new building,

was hired as contractor. Members of the congregation donated generously for

the new church. Pastor Fuchs solicited enough money from Janesville busi-

nessmen to pay for the mahogany pews. The cornerstone was laid in June,

and St. John’s second house of worship was dedicated on Nov. 30, 1913.

The 1920’s were a time of growth and vitality for St. John. The Broth-

erhood, a men’s organization, flourished and performed popular minstrel shows.

Also during this time, the Luther League became so large they split into two

leagues, Junior and Senior.

During the 1920’s, 30’s and early 40’s, St John’s pastors also served a

congregation in Hanover, southwest of Janesville, The Hanover services were

discontinued in 1944.

. On May 19, 1929, the mortgage covering the 1913 edifice was burned.

During the 1930’s, the church constitution was rewritten and the common com-

munion cup was dropped in favor of the individual communion cup. Another

change during this time was the removal of the German lettering on the front of

the church. There was a general remodeling of the interior of the building as

well. The lettering “Ehre zei Gott in der Hohe” was replaced with the English

words, “Glory to God in the Highest,” in another of the moves to Americanize

the church.


Junior Mission Band, forerunners

of the Junior Lutherans, founded

Educational Unit built in 1959

Dedication of Educational Unit

on January 17, 1960

Lonbard Avenue Parsonage

purchased

Plans made for new church

beginning in December of 1962

Cornerstone laid on October 25,

1964

.

Timeline

In 1944, the basement of the church building was remodeled to provide addi-

tional Sunday School rooms. Another development during this time was the

formation of the Junior Mission Band, which was not a musical group but an

organization of young people who banded together to support mission work.

This forerunner of the group known as Junior Lutherans, concentrated on mis-

sions in New Guinea. The Junior Lutherans began in 1958, and were very ac-

tive until they disbanded in 1986. The service at Hanover was discontinued in

1944. A son of the congregation, Gerald Herbener, was ordained.

The congregation continued to grow rapidly in the 50’s and the need for a larger

Sunday School was clear. Classes met in the basement of the parsonage and

in three houses on Pease Court that had been purchased for use as overflow

Sunday School rooms. In 1959, an educational unit was built at a cost of

$250,000. The building was dedicated on January 17, 1960. Afterward, the

houses that had been used for Sunday School overflow were demolished, and

the property was converted into a parking lot.

In 1969, the Pastor and his family moved into a new parsonage at

2404 Lombard Ave. Four pastors and their families lived there until the Lom-

bard parsonage was sold in 1978.

The Educational Wing of the church was completed in 1959, but

thoughts soon turned to the church itself. Due to the physical condition of the

church and the crowded conditions in the sanctuary, a third house of Worship

was imminent. At the congregational meeting in December, 1962, a building

committee was elected. After a series of planning meetings, Charles E. Stade

& Associates were hired as architects. Ernst Schwidder, a noted artist, worked

with the architects in the design of the new worship space. Soon after the hiring

of Charles E. Stade & Associates, plans for the new building and the financing

were approved. The third house of worship was built at a cost of $395,000.

Additional property was bought across the street for a future parking lot. The

building program got under way with the razing of the old church in July of 1964,

and groundbreaking for the new church took place on August 2, 1964. During

the time of the building of the new church, the congregation held services in the

Myers Theater. Sunday School continued to be held in the new educational

unit. The congregation responded wonderfully during this challenging time the

work went forward without interruption.

The cornerstone was laid on October 25, 1964, with council members,

organization officers, and building committee members all taking part in placing

appropriate articles in the cornerstone. New articles, as well as the old articles

from the 1913 cornerstone, were included.


1964 Church finished and used

for the first time on May 30, 1965

Thirty one students confirmed on

that first Sunday

1964 Church dedicated on

October 3, 1965

First assistant pastor called in

1973

Prayer Garden built and dedicat-

ed on June 22, 1975

Television ministry begins1975

Golden Diners begins in 1977

St John has a reputation for

hospitality to our entire

community

Timeline

Due to the splendid cooperation between contractors and building

committee, the new church was completed and was used for the first time on

May 30, 1965. The congregation met for an opening service at the Myers Thea-

ter and then processed to the new church, preceded by the Boy Scouts bearing

the Christian and American flags, Pastor Docken, Vicar Sorenson, the council

members carrying the altar furnishings, the confirmation class, and the choir.

The contractor gave the key to the architect, who presented it to Willard Naatz,

chairman of the Building committee. Mr. Naatz opened the door and Pastor

Docken invited all to enter the Lord’s House.

The first memorable occasion in the new church building took place on

this first Sunday with the confirmation of 31 young people.

With several items in the church to be completed, the dedication was

set for October 3, 1965, with Dr Myron Austinson, President of Southern Wis-

consin District, ALC, as the Dedicator. It was decided to set apart October as

Dedication and 75th Anniversary month. On October 24th we observed the 75th

Anniversary of St John Lutheran Church. Beginning in 1971, fifth graders

received their First Communion. Prior to this time Communion had been part of

the rite of Confirmation.

At the annual meeting in 1973, the congregation voted to hire a second

full-time pastor . Pastor Elliott Hull became St. John’s first full-time assistant

pastor in August 1973. He was followed by seven other assistant and associ-

ate pastors.

In 1975, the congregation acquired the Slightham property north of the

church on Parker Drive. The property was converted into a prayer garden by

the men of the church and dedicated on June 22, 1975.

St. John’s television ministry began in 1975. Larry Fry was our first TV

ministry Chairman. He set up the protocols and equipment to videotape your

services and maintained them for over thirty years until his retirement in 2008.

Beginning in 1977, the Rock County Senior Citizen Nutrition Program,

known as the Golden Diners, used St John’s kitchen and Friendship Hall to

serve meals to senior citizens. Phyllis Haugen served as the coordinator for the

program until her retirement in 2003. The church building has served as a

meeting place for many other community groups over the years, such as Al-

Anon, TOPS, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Spotlight on Kids, farmer’s co-ops, a day

school for the Janesville School District, the GIFTS Men’s Shelter, and the dis-

tribution site for the ECHO School Supply and Christmas Toy Drives. The

ECHO Community Dinner is served here on the last Saturday of each month.


1979 “Lutheran Book of Worship”

introduced

Cambodian Family of thirteen is

sponsored by St John

1980—90th Anniversary!

1990—100th Anniversary!

1964 Church mortgage burned

on April 12, 1981

500th Anniversary of Luther’s

birth

St John Lutheran Church

Foundation formed

Century Project

Timeline

In 1979, the green “Lutheran Book of Worship” (LBW) was

introduced to the congregation. It replaced the red “Service Book and Hymnal”,

which had been used since 1959. In 1995, the blue book of worship titled, “With

One Voice” was added to our resources. In 2006, the green “Lutheran Book of

Worship” was replaced with a cranberry red service book, titled “Evangelical

Lutheran Worship”, which is currently in use.

Beginning in 1979, our church sponsored a Cambodian family of thir-

teen. On July 30, 1979 the family arrived in Janesville from a refugee camp in

Thailand, which had been their home for four years. The family consisted of

four sisters, their husbands and children, a 14- year old girl and their 59-year

old mother. They were brought here under the auspices of LIRS (Lutheran Im-

migration Refugee Service) and taken under the wing of St John Lutheran

Church, our pastor Ed Paape, and sponsors, Ronald and Sandra Skildum.

They were housed in the parsonage next to the church until they were able to

support themselves. At present, two families live in the state of Oregon, where

there is a large community of Cambodians and the remaining two families live

here in Janesville.

In 1980, the congregation held a celebration for its 90th anniversary,

and, in 1990 a large celebration for its’ 100th anniversary. One of the highlights

of the 100th anniversary celebration was an aerial photograph of the members

of the congregation standing in front of the building to form the number “100”.

On April 12, 1981, Palm Sunday, a ceremony was held to burn the

mortgage on the church. The same year, the upper parking lot entrances to the

church and the educational unit were enclosed for energy conservation.

On Reformation Sunday, 1983, Pastor Paape dressed as Martin Luther

and nailed 95 theses to the church door. Other members dressed as friends

and relatives of Luther as part of a service honoring the 500th anniversary of

Luther’s birth.

The St. John Lutheran Church Foundation was formed in 1983. Its purpose is

to provide a structure for the financial support of the church, which allows for the

undertaking of major projects and benevolences that cannot be financed

through the regular church budget.

In 1986, the Century Project took place, which involved the reconstruction of

the outside walls of the educational unit, the installation of an elevator running

from Friendship Hall to the narthex, the purchase of a van to transport shut-ins

and youth, and the air conditioning of the nave.


1987—St John joins the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in

America

2009—Major Restoration and

updating of the Pipe Organ

2012—Projector System added

to Worship Space

2014—Documentation of our

worship space art for Valparaiso

University

St John has a reputation for

hospitality to our entire

community

Timeline

On January 1, 1987, St John became part of a new synod, the Evan-

gelical Lutheran Church in America, ELCA. The new synod consists of the for-

mer American Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church in America, and American

Evangelical Lutheran Church, and is the largest Lutheran synod in America.

In 1991, members of the congregation donated money to purchase hand bells

for the formation of a hand bell choir. The choir was called “The Chapel

Chimes” and grace us with their music until 2005.

In 2009, the 1964 Verlinden pipe organ was in need of major repairs and up-

dates at a cost in excess of $100,000. A commitment was made by the Saint

John Lutheran Foundation and from an anonymous donor . The remainder was

funded through member contributions and memorial bequests.

In 2009, the Janesville School district rented the lower floor of the educational

building for a charter school called the CRES Academy. They were here until

2011.

In 2012, a computer, video projector, and projection screen were in-

stalled in the sanctuary, so that members of the congregation could follow the

order of the service and musical lyrics on a screen mounted in the front of the

sanctuary.

In 2014, we were visited by archivists, who documented the carvings which decorate our sanctuary. The carvings are the work of the reknown artist, Ernst Schwidder. Photographs of our sanctuary art and the original paraments, which were also designed by Mr. Schwidder, will be archived at Valparaiso Uni-versity in a collection of Mr. Schwidder’s work. In his career, he designed the interior art for over 300 churches in the United States.

St. John Lutheran Church is active in ministry to the community

through participation in such programs as ECHO, ECHO Community Meals,

ECHO Christmas in July, GIFTS Men Shelter, Meals on Wheels, Crop Walk, Al-

Anon meetings, ECHO School Supply Drive, ECHO Christmas Toy Distribution,

Red Cross Blood Mobile, Radio License testing for Ham Radio (ARRL), REACT

Radio Group meetings, Shoe cutting for overseas, Malaria Campaign, Sunday

Service TV broadcast, Extended Care (sends cards to home bound members),

collecting used medicine containers for Health Net, 16:49 Project for Homeless

Teenagers.

St. John is also active within our congregation. We do Hanging of the

Greens at Christmas, the Women of the Church make layettes, personal hy-

giene, and school kits, and quilts for Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and local

area charities. We have soup lunches before Lenten services, Easter Breakfast

on Easter Sunday, OktoberFest in the fall, a Fourth of July Picnic, Outdoor Wor-

ship Services during the summer, and Women’s Bible Study Groups. There is

a Prayer Shawl Group, which meets monthly to make Prayer Shawls to distrib-

ute to people who are sick, shut-in or need comfort.


PASTOR GEORGE A.

KAEMFPLEIN

1890 - 1898

PASTOR PAUL WERTH

1898 -1909

PASTOR SIGMUND

FUCHS 1909 — 1925

PASTOR AMOS

ZEILINGER 1925 — 1929

PASTOR JOHN KEISER

1929 — 1940

PASTOR GOTTFRIED

HERBENER 1940 — 1944

PASTORS

Our Pastors

The men and women who have led us through a century of change and growth.

Pastor George

Kaemfplein

Pastor Paul Werth

Pastor Sigmund

Fuchs

Pastor Amos

Zeilinger Pastor John Keiser

Pastor Gottfried

Herbener


PASTOR HERBERT

MILUIS

1944—1956

PASTOR ARLIN ADAMS

1956—1961

PASTOR L. DONALD

DOCKEN 1962—1974

PASTOR CHRISTIAN

QUELLO 1974—1977

PASTOR EDWARD PAAPE

1978—1988

PASTOR JEFFREY WILD

1989—2000

PASTORS

Our Pastors


Pastor

Herbert Milius Pastor Arlin Adams

Pastor Donald Docken

Pastor Christian

Quello Pastor Edward

Paape

Pastor Jeffery Wild


PASTOR JUDITH

HUSETH 2001—2006

PASTOR BOND

HALDEMAN

2006—PRESENT

PASTORS

Our Pastors


Pastor

Judith Huseth Pastor Bond

Haldeman


PASTOR IRVIN SUBY

1965—1969

PASTOR PASTOR E. G.

BURTNESS 1969—1989

PASTOR JEROME

PRIBBENOW 1980

PASTOR RALPH

SANDGREN 2000—2001

PASTOR REBECCA

ROSSOW 2003—2004

PASTOR ROY POLTROCK

2004—2006

PASTOR DAVID

NELSESTUEN

2011—PRESENT

VISITATION PASTORS

Our Pastors

Pastor

Irvin Suby

Pastor E. G.

Burtness Pastor Jerome

Pribbenow

Pastor Ralph

Sandgren

Pastor Rebecca

Rossow

Pastor Roy Poltrock

Pastor David

Nelsestuen


PASTOR ELLIOTT HULL

1973—1975

PASTOR JOHN HILBERT

1975—1976

PASTOR JIM DAVIS

1977- - 1980

PASTOR MICHAEL

WONDERLICH 1980

PASTOR DAVID

FREDERICKSON

1980 - 1983

PASTOR JEFF WILD

1984—1989

PASTOR GLENN

BERG-MOBERG

1989—2001

PASTOR BRIAN ROSSOW

2002—2005

ASSOCIATE PASTORS

Our Pastors

Pastor

Elliot Hull

Pastor John Hilbert Pastor Jim Davis

Pastor David

Frederickson

Pastor Jeff Wild Pastor Glenn

Berg-Moberg

Pastor Brian Rossow


Our Buildings—1890 CONNECTING YOUR BUSINESS TO THE TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES YOU NEED

Interior of 1890 Church, note the relief carving behind the altar and

the crucifix given as a gift from St Mary’s Church.

TE

Photos of the 1890 Church taken by Pastor Fuchs, notice the wall of the

1913 Church under construction next to the first church.

Dedicated September 13, 1890.

The First Church

1890-1913


Our Buildings—1913

The Second Church 1913—1964

TEC

HN

The 1913 Church shortly after its completion.


The Third Church

1964—Present

Our Buildings—1964—Present


Our People CONNECTING YOUR BUSINESS TO THE TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES YOU NEED

flexible solutions for your business needs


Our Future

The Next 125 years begins…….

This book is dedicated

to the countless men and women who, through their faith, generosity,

compassion, devotion and dedication, formed the congregation that today is known as St John Lutheran Church.

The gift of faith,

which they have passed on to us, is a priceless heritage.

We thank them for everything that has brought us to this day,

one hundred and twenty-five years later.

St John Lutheran Church 302 N . Parker Drive, Janesville, Wisconsin 53545

608-752-3159

[email protected]


We thank you, Lord God,

for brave and believing people

who planted your message

in this place. We praise you

for the gift of your Holy Spirit,

who worked in them

to gather and give order

to this community,

and who still sustains it.

Remembering all those

who have gone before us,

we pray that

we may follow as they followed,

in the way, the truth , and the life,

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

125th Anniversary Commemorative Book

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Transcript of 125th Anniversary Commemorative Book